Hero: Legend of Drizzt: Homecoming, Book III

Something akin to peace has come to the Underdark. The demon hordes have receded, and now the matron mothers argue over the fate of Drizzt Do'Urden. Even so, it becomes clear to one matriarch after another that while the renegade drow may come and go, Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, will crawl forever on. And so Drizzt is free to return to his home on the surface once again. Scores are settled as lives are cut short, yet other lives move on. For the lone drow, there is only a single final quest: a search for peace, for family, for home.

The Devil You Know: A Brimstone Angels Novel

Before Farideh took a devil's pact, before she was Chosen by the god-king of the Hells, before any of this started, there was Bryseis Kakistos, the original Brimstone Angel, first of Farideh's line. Now, at the end, there is also Bryseis Kakistos - but this time, instead of helping the king of the Hells achieve godhood, she's going to kill him. All she needs is a little help from Farideh - which she should, by all accounts, be happy to give. After all, who could object to killing the king of the Hells?

Homeland: Legend of Drizzt: Dark Elf Trilogy, Book 1

This stunning new release of the classic R.A. Salvatore novel recounts the origins of Salvatore's signature dark elf character, Drizzt Do'Urden. This title kicks off The Legend of Drizzt series, which will showcase the classic dark elf novels in these new audiobook editions.

Elminster: The Making of a Mage: Forgotten Realms: Elminster, Book 1

In ancient days, sorcerers sought to learn the One True Spell that would give them power over all the world and understanding of all magic.... The One True Spell was a woman, and her name was Mystra - and her kisses were wonderful. It is the time before Myth Drannor, when the Heartlands are home to barbarians, and wicked dragons rule the skies. In these ancient days, Elminster is but a shepherd boy, dreaming of adventure and heroics. When a dragon-riding magelord sweeps down upon him, though, the boy is thrust into a world of harsh realities, corrupt rulers, and evil sorcerers.

Canticle: Forgotten Realms The Cleric Quintet Book 1

High in the Snowflake Mountains sits the Edificant Library, a place of scholarly study for priests, bards, and others. Now from the hidden vaults beneath the library a devastating curse is unleashed, and a young cleric must battle the terrifying creatures set loose by a malevolent, consuming essence that's been released, before his own brethren turn against him. Cadderly must put his studies to the test and enter the catacombs far below to save his brothers and himself.

Brimstone Angels: A Forgotten Realms Novel

Rejected at birth and raised in a village of tiefling misfits, Farideh expects a life without friends, love, or control over her destiny. Then she makes a pact with a devil named Lorcan, and everything changes. Lorcan promises all she ever dreamed of and asks for nothing in return. Her twin sister Havilar urges Farideh to resist the devil’s sway. But Farideh’s not so sure. Lorcan may be dangerous but the power he offers is exhilarating.

Servant of the Shard: Forgotten Realms: The Sellswords, Book 1

The Assassin: Surrounded by dark elves, Artemis Entreri tightens his grip on the streets of Calimport. While he urges caution, his black-skinned sponsor grows ever more ambitious. The assassin will soon find himself on a path his most hated enemy has walked before him - a path that leads to a place where someone like Entreri would never be welcome. The Drow: Jarlaxle has ascended from dark Menzoberranzan with only evil intentions. The malevolent Crystal Shard’s influence on him intensifies until even the drow agents he brought with him grow fearful.

Sacrifice of the Widow: Forgotten Realms: The Lady Penitent, Book 1

Goddesses vie for the soul of people... Halisstra Melarn, convert to the cause of the goddess Eilistraee, was sent to the deepest depths of the Outer Planes to kill the demon goddess she once worshiped, but instead was transformed into a hideous creature bent to the vengeful will of her former mistress.For the Queen of the Demonweb Pits not only survived her Silence but evolved into something greater than she was before - something that no longer needs to share the domain she calls her own.

Dissolution: Forgotten Realms: War of the Spider Queen, Book 1

The War of the Spider Queen begins here. While their whole world is changing around them, four dark elves struggle against different enemies. Yet their paths will lead them all to the most terrifying discovery in the long history of the drow and set them on a quest to save not only Menzoberranzan but the entire dark elf race from Dissolution....

The Parched Sea: Forgotten Realms: The Harpers, Book 1

Dermined to drive a trade route through Anauroch, the Zhentarim have sent an army to enslave the fierce nomads of the great desert. As tribe after tribe fall to the intruders, only a single woman, Rhua, sees the true danger - but what sheik will heed the advice of an outcast witch? Ruha finds help from an unexpected source. The Harpers, guardians of liberty throughout the Realms, have sent an agent to counter the Zhentarim. If she can help this stranger win the trust of the sheikhs, perhaps he can overcome the tribes’ ancestral rivalries and drive the invaders from the desert.

Stone of Tymora

Meet Maimun - an orphan who couldn’t imagine how unfortunate it would be to discover a stone that makes him forever lucky. Fleeing a powerful demon named Asbeel, Maimun stows away aboard the ship Sea Sprite, where he encounters a cast of characters well-known to Salvatore fans: Captain Deudermont, Drizzt Do’Urden, Wulfgar, Catti-brie, and the dwarf Bruenor. Drizzt becomes a mentor to Maimun and aboard Deudermont’s ship, they sail the treacherous seas of the Forgotten Realms.

Spellfire: Forgotten Realms: Shandril's Saga, Book 1

It can lay low a dragon or heal a wounded warrior. It is the most sought-after magical power in all Faern. And it is in the reluctant hands of Shandril of Highmoon, a young, orphaned kitchen-lass. Now she's on the run from half of the evil sorcerers in the land, not to mention their relentless minions. But with the help of a handsome young wizard, some rough-and-tumble Knights of Myth Drannor, and a certain old mage of Shadowdale, she just might manage to stay alive. At least until tomorrow.

Publisher's Summary

Beautiful as she is deadly, Liriel Baenre flits throught the shadows of Menzoberranzan, city of the dark elves. Amid treachery and murder that are the drow's daily fare, she feels something calling to her...something beyond this dusky world far removed from the sun. Yet as she ventures toward the surface and the lands of light, enemies pursue her unceasingly.

I have to ask why they have done this to such a good book. I bought this book because I have read and reread this trilogy. listening to the book was a struggle. it sounded like it was recorded in a bathroom stall and inconsistent enough that you can tell where they had to go back and fix parts and splice them in. the reader is just that a poor reader. her inability to keep a cadence makes it obvious she has reached the end of a line on the page but not the end of a sentence. i could go on but i don't see the point.

What made the experience of listening to Daughter of the Drow the most enjoyable?

It's a great story. I read the book years ago and was glad to see it come to audible.

How could the performance have been better?

Dara Rosenberg pronounces words oddly, and has awkward pauses in the middle of sentences and even multi-syllable words. For instance she pronounced the word worship as war ship, and Menzobaranzan as Menzo baran zan, as if it were three separate words and not a proper noun. The sound quality was also just a bit tinny.

If you've only read RA Salvator's work with the drow than you owe it to yourself to check out Daughter of the Drow. Lyriel the main characters is a witty, devious and enjoyable character whom actually revel's in he culture even as she slowly learns to reject its evil. These delightful contradictions and intrigue make this story extremely enjoyable. The story is extremely fun, well paced with an great supporting cast of allies and enemies for Lyriel and over all a real delight.

The story is set in the heyday of 2nd edition D&D's Forgotten Realms but it works well as a stand alone and any fan of fantasy should be able to get into and enjoy this series with no prior knowledge of the setting or D&D in general, however if you do read the other Drow centric book it acts as nice little companion piece.

However as good as the story is the current recording is of very low quality. The reader doesn't have very good audio quality, the editing is a pit choppy and the actors choice of inflection is rather unusual which might prove distracting to some listeners. If they can fix the audio issues I'd say this is a must buy for any fan of the Drow and the Forgotten Realms.

Would you be willing to try another one of Dara Rosenberg’s performances?

Maybe in the same series, but overall I think the narrator makes too many major mistakes. There are many pauses for no reason, and fantastically bad pronunciation of common words. And she consistently changes pronunciation of the main character's name in the first few chapters of the book.

My biggest complaints are twofold, the audio quality and the narrator's frequent inability to pronounce words correctly. Other than that, I rather enjoyed the story and look forward to the next volume.

I removed it from my device 30 minutes in. Couldn't get past the mangling of basic english words, the tinny recording and misplaced pauses.I'll just get this book into my mind the old fashioned way as it sounds quite promising. Hopefully Audible re-records it.

I've read this book before and the story is a good little fantasy story. However here, the narration delivery becomes so torturous - I had to put the story down, unfinished.

About 1/4 into the story the narrator fully slips into a rhythm and cadence that gives inflection completely independent of the sentence structure. And at about halfway through this novel It's like the words and sentences are passing, but the narrator gives no inflection to what is actually being said. The beat and emphasis is on a whatever word happens to land at a rhythmic point, and it becomes insanely distracting.

I know fantasy novels dialogue can be difficult and awkward for many narrators - but this is bad.. Really, really bad. This slips into full autopilot reading about 1 step above an automated computer voice that has no idea what is being said.

This story really deserves to be reproduced with a different production team.

Dara rosenberg what can I say. This is the first audio book with her narrating and I will not buy another. She has a very strange halting reading style with emphasis in all the wrong places resulting in a painful listen. Maybe she is uncomfortable with the fantasy genre. I had to stop listening an hour in.

I get the impression she is reading a line then thinking about it then trying to say it with weird pronunciation.

Wish I could get my money back on this.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

StarkulfR

LONDON, United Kingdom

11/23/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Did anyone ever consider pronunciation?"

What made the experience of listening to Daughter of the Drow the most enjoyable?

The fact that there is an off button.

What other book might you compare Daughter of the Drow to, and why?

None

How could the performance have been better?

Have someone who can pronounce Menzoberranzan, and speaks English on a regular basis. This performance could have been much better done by a parrot, do the performers actually listen to what they've recorded, this is dreadful! I will not be completing the download and wish to cancel the order!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Played the game, read the books, will not listen to them on Audible.

Any additional comments?

Never again! I will not buy anything narrated by this person, stilted narration, mis-pronunciation, all in all a terrible experience. A wonderful series of books yet they have been ruined by the pathetic attempts to tell the tale.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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